Analyzing the numbers: Jeremy Langford vs. Indiana

Analyzing the numbers: Jeremy Langford vs. Indiana

By Ernest Tolden, BTN.com, 3 years ago

Michigan State running back Jeremy Langford put on a show Saturday in the Spartans’ 42-28 win over Indiana.

Langford ran for a career-high 109 yards – his first 100-yard game – and three touchdowns, and he also caught a touchdown pass. The four total touchdowns are the most by a Michigan State player since Edwin Baker in 2010 against Minnesota.

Langford did most of his damage on rushes to the left side. He averaged 12.5 yards per carry when running that direction, including his 32-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that put the Spartans up 35-21. On runs up the middle and to the right, Langford only managed 3.1 yards per carry.

Jeremy Langford Rushing by Direction

vs. Indiana

Rushes

Yards

AVG

Right

4

6

1.5

Middle

15

53

3.5

Left

4

50

12.5

The Spartans’ rushing Saturday balanced out a passing attack that has been on the rise. Michigan State recorded 235 yards in the air, to go along with its 238 rushing yards, marking the first time it has recorded at least 200 pass yards and 200 rushing yards against an FBS opponent since their season opener last season against Boise State.

In two conference games, the Spartans are averaging 34 points and 442 yards in total offense. Against their three FBS opponents in non-conference play, the Spartans struggled on offense, averaging just 20 points and 272 yards in total offense.

Michigan State found success on third down against Indiana, converting on 10 of its 14 opportunities. That conversion rate of 71.4 percent was a season high and its best since Week 2 of the 2006 season against Eastern Michigan (73.3%).

With the win, the Spartans did something they failed to do last season – win a conference home game. The win snapped their four-game conference home losing streak, which was the third-longest in school history. At 2-0 in the conference, Michigan State sits at the top of the Legends Division. The Spartans host the struggling Purdue Boilermakers next week, who they’ve beaten in each of the last four meetings.

Ernest Tolden is a Studio Researcher for Big Ten Network and a blogger who covers Big Ten football and men’s basketball for BTN.com. Ernest is a native of Chicago, Illinois. Follow our BTN stats team on Twitter via @BTNStatsGuys.